Man pushed a pram into his partner and punched her days later

Jon Cooper

A man has been fined for assaulting his partner twice after he pushed a pram into her and punched her days later.

Carl David Hughes, 35, of Peak Road, New Mills, assaulted his partner at her home on Nunbrook Grove, Buxton, twice during January.

Prosecuting solicitor Sarah Haslam told a Chesterfield magistrates’ court hearing on Thursday, February 1, that Hughes’s partner only came forward to police when social services became involved with the family and advised her to report incidents.

Mrs Haslam said Hughes had visited to take the partner’s son out on January 6 and when he returned ten minutes later he pushed the pram into his partner and spat in her glass of alcohol.

During a second incident on January 12, the couple had been sat on a sofa when Hughes’s partner tapped his leg during an argument, according to Mrs Haslam, and Hughes punched his partner on her left arm causing bruising.

Hughes accepted to police he had pushed the pram into his partner and he had punched her but he added they had been arguing a lot and he was concerned about her drinking. Mrs Haslam said there had been no other reports of domestic violence.

The defendant pleaded guilty to committing two assaults but the court heard his partner is not supporting the prosecution.

Kirsten Collins, defending, said Hughes feels the incident with the pram had been both accidental and reckless.

She said: “It is difficult for the defendant to understand the difference between accidental and reckless. He thought it was an accident.”

However, Ms Collins stated Hughes accepts committing the first assault on a reckless basis and accepts the second assault had been in retaliation and not in self defence.

Ms Collins added that she had expected Hughes to receive a caution but she understands that because there were two incidents charges have had to follow.

Magistrates fined Hughes £180 and ordered him to pay £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.